We are a family of 8 adults doing a hiking trip, in June, to Engelberg and the Engadine Valley --with a 1 year old. Our first three nights are in Engelberg. We arrive around noon from the USA into Zurich and will take the train to Engelberg where we have rented a house (Alphaven). We know we want to take the ferry on Lake Lucerne one day, and do one good hike on another day. What are some suggestions to best plan this timing? The rotation car is too costly, but we would like to see the glacier --how ? Also --what are some thoughts on the Ice Flyer?

Thanks!

Sounds like a great trip!

June is still a bit muddy in Engelberg, but you will find great hiking on the south facing mountains. Alphaven is an amazing place, and John and Ursula will take excellent care of you up there!

Good hike: Take the cable-car up the Brunniside (the south-facing side of the valley), and venture of the east or west. Towards the east you have a nice hike to Rugghubelhütte where you can have lunch or snack with magic views. Another option is Fürenalp, a cable-car further into the valley where you can take the cable-car up and have a long nice hike back to the village.

The Rotair is expensive - 82 CHF last summer - but the views are breathtaking if the weather is clear. The ice-flyer is a chair-lift on the glacier, and the only way to reach it is with Rotair...

About planning - definitely decide on the weather forecast. Clear skiers - go hiking, greyish - take the boat trip on lake lucerne.

Have a nice trip!

http://www.skilodgeengelberg.com

Thanks, Eric --more questions since you appear to really know the region. On our first day, after recovering a bit from the flight, is it logical to take the train back into Lucerne for dinner and enjoy the city, or is this too much traveling? (I fear that if only see Luceren on the day we go on the ferry, that we will not have time to enjoy its' charm.) Where do we jump onto the lake tour, by the way, if we take the train from Engelberg? What cities would you recommend that we get off the ferry and explore? I only know that Weggis is suppose to be wonderful. Is there enough time to hike out of Weggis--I believe it is Mt. Riggi?? And finally --of the Engelberg mountain hikes you recommended, what would be your #1 choice for fabulous views?? We are a very active family and all in good condition.
You have been a huge help. Thank you.

Will you be travelling by train?
If so, you can check all your trips at www.sbb.ch and click on english. Enter destinations and dates for info.
From Zuerich Flughafen (airport) to Engelberg, it takes just 2 hours leaving at 47 minutes past each hour and changing in Luzern, where you have a 17 minutes transition time, before arriving in Engelberg at 53 minutes past each hour. Example: leave the airport at 13:47 and arrive Engelberg 15:53.
From Engelberg to Luzern is just 54 minutes with no changes on most trips. Leaves ON the hour.
Luzern Lake tours begin at the boat station DIRECTLY ACROSS from the train station (3 minutes walk-can't miss it).
Luzern to Weggis by ship is 41-48 minutes.
Hiking around Rigi is IMO fantastic!
Regarding the Engelberg Rotair. You know that you can ascend just to Truebsee for a lesser price and picnic/hike around this beautiful mountain lake for one choice!
Have great fun!

I'm sure that you have already researched www.titlis.ch/en for hiking possibilities and more!
The Roundtrip from Engelberg to Truebsee is 28 CHF per person (86 CHF to the top), and to Jochpass for the Marmot Trail is 42 CHF per person. That would make a lovely hike on a clear day--up to Truebsee, walk around the lake +/- picnic, take the Jochpass cable up, hike the Marmot trail, back doewn to Truebsee, change for the cable car back down to Engelberg at just 42 CHF per person (children under 15 free with parents).
Since staying in town, your hosts should provide you with a Guestcard, entitling you all to a further 10% reduction on cost!

The 86 CHF price quoted to go to the top - is that with the 1/2 price swiss pass or the full fare?

I read that the train pass is midnight to midnight ---SO - if we take the cable cars on the first day, would that cost be included on our swiss passes?

Hello danen5, can't recommend the hiking but you will love Alphaven, we stayed in apartment D several years ago and the views and scenery are breathtaking. If you are using the trains how do you plan to reach the house? It is quite a steep walk and the house sits high above town, we had a car and the drive up the narrow winding road was hairy. I recall the climb up to our apartment, something like 80+ stairs (or at least it felt like it). It is truly beautiful and looks exactly like the pics on the website. You will enjoy your stay.
Susan

Jenn:
86 CHF adult is full price.
With the Half Fare Card it would be 43 CHF all the way to the top.
The IceFlyer is 12 CHF adult, no half fare reduction.
danen:
train pass usage is by the calendar date. So if travel
commences at 12:02 am on June 4, that uses up a day on your pass (not sure if/what kind of trainpass you may be using--Flexi? etc)

The train is 54 minutes as mentioned above, so IMO it might be too much with another 2 hours of traveling the same day. For dinner there are some nice options in Luzern though. Grottino 1313 is an amazing place with great food. Set menus, and charming waiters. Weisses Schloss is another safe bet for good food and nice atmosphere.

I haven't taken the ferry on Lake Lucerne myself, so I don't have any insider info there

About the hikes: the one to Rugghubelhütte has majestic scenery, check out this blog post we did 2 summers ago for more info: http://hikinginthealps.blogspot.com/...t-all-way.html

The homepage fro the hut is: http://www.rugghubel.ch/ - I would try Google Translate if your german isn't up to date. Should be open in June!

WOW--so many options!! OK --day 1 is now a bit different as we arrive in Zurich @ 8:00am. Should we rest - take the train into Lucerne OR do a hike ???? Also - is there enough in engelberg to jsut enjoy this little village for the afternon? Hikes: Perhaps Trubsee and onto Engelshalp?? Is there anyway to get to the ice grotto from Trubsee --or to the Ice Flyers? Then - the next day perhaps we get on the ferry and ride to Weggis followed by a hike on Mt. Rigi?? Hop back on the ferry for the remainder of the afternoon - and dinner in Lucerne? Third day we can do another hike --where? Thank you for weighing in. There is not a lot written about this area so it makes planning tough.

I like day #2 (ferry to Weggis, hike around Rigi, ferry or train back to Luzern for dinner),
BUT for ME, after an overnight flight and the time change, a strenuous hike on day #1 (anything MORE than Truebsee anyway) would be too much. I always need an afternoon nap on day #1, then I'm refreshed for a walkabout and dinner . If weather on day of arrival is nice, Truebsee is a level, one- hour walk around the whole lake, so quite doable and in the face of spectacular scenery, (but it would depend on whether you had opted for a more exerting hike with this particular lift and wanted to consolidate expenses).
Perhaps a more intense hike OR fuller exploration of Luzern could take place on day #3..?
Its been a while since I was in Engelberg, but I believe the IceFlyer and Grotto only come with the trip to the top with the Rotair...

To further mix things up(!) if everyone was in spectacularly rested shape upon arrival to Zuerich, you 'could' travel to Luzern (its on the way to Engelberg after all), store your luggage in the train station lockers (or mannned service if they have one)-(if using rail) or park (Sorry, I have no info about car-parking), then explore Luzern a bit and lunch there, before heading to your final destination of Engelberg for the remainder of the day...

I agree that we should plan on resting on day #1. Our flight times were changes last night and we are now arriving @8:00am the first day. (And--Alphaven itself is glorious looking.) I like the idea of a nap and then head to the Truebsee walk --or how far is it to continue onto Engelshalp??
Day #2 should be the lake with dinner in Lucerne --is hiking on Mt Rigi too much to add into this day? We still have Day #3 to figure out. Is Engelberg large enough to eat in a restaurant, or how difficult is finding a grocery??

Thanks --this help is invaluable!

mokka4...thanks for the info. We will have a 5 day flexi pass and will be spending 5 days in Switzerland. I could probably go with 4, but we will need to take the train from Zurich to Bern our first day and don't plan to do any further train travel that day, so that wipes out a day as our passes will start from that day on. Our last day (day 5) we are traveling from Bern to Southern Italy, so the pass will cover the Swiss portion of that travel.

Let me start with the easy things...
www.engelberg.ch/en/index.php for Gastronomy. More than 30 restaurants for Engelberg and environs listed, with descriptions, in english!
Could your spelling of
"Engelshalp" be the corrected "Engstlenalp"?
I do not know this particular hike, but in-depth hiking options for this area can be found at www.engelberg.ch/en/summer-activities
Click Left on Activities
and again on
Hiking to get to detailed descriptions.
One such hike from Engstlensee (lake, not Truebsee) to Engstlenalp is named the '4 Lake Trail' and is timed at 6 hours 45 minutes!
There is also a wonderful tourism/sport activity office in Engelberg town which can help with detailed hiking maps and suggestions, if you don't get more info ahead of time.
Finally, with re: to Rigi and Luzern...
You can take shorter or longer hikes in the area per your time available.
If I recall, you can get off the ?funicular at Rigi Kaltbad for a cafe or picnic lunch and either hike back down or just a circular path, before either continuing back down or catching the next funicular upwards.
Yellow posted trail signs (Wanderwege) give times to destinations in hours and minutes (Stunden=Hours). Red and white blazed paths are rockier and more difficult.
Check Rigi's home site for more info on possible short hikes to fit your needs.

Finally, also there are two grocery stores in Engelberg:
Coop at the TitlisZentrum and Migros on Klosterstrasse.
These are the two main swiss grocery chains that you will see everywhere.
Hiking addendum:
Marmot Trail (5 hours) = Truebsee->Jochpass->Schaftal->Tannalp->Engstlenalp->Jochpass->Truebsee --Perhaps this id the hike that you were referring to?

Otherwise, poster Eric (above) gives you info on Brunnipfad area (2-2.5hrs).
Hope this helps!

Awesome - thanks. At this juncture I feel that we now have enough options to choose from once determining jet-lag and weather. We are all so excited - the fun of planning is almost over - now we get to have the fun of DOING IT!! Thank you so much!!

Wish I were going with you!